Pirates of the Hydian Way I  War of Naboo
by mSeliga
Summary: A story set between Episode III and IV about the formation of the Rebellion as seen through the eyes of pirates, smugglers, and information brokers along the Hydian Way.
1. Chapter 1

Pirates of the Hydian Way I

War of Naboo

Chapter One

Noch Tar walked to the bridge of the Venator class Star Destroyer, Raider. Noch Tar was a tall, slim man of 40. He had once been a captain in the Republic navy at the break out of the Clone Wars. After the battle of Malastare, he decided he'd had enough of the navy. He took his ship and the loyal crew and decided to become a pirate. His fleet consists of a Venator Star Destroyer, two Dreadnaught, three Bulk Cruisers, and an experimental Interdictor cruiser. He had a score of ARC-175 fighters and Y-Wings.  
As he entered the bridge he glanced over the shoulders of the men working at the stations to make sure everything was working properly. He sat in the custom command chair and witnessed the view before him. They had jumped a convoy on the far side of the Eriadu System. It was a group of ten Bulk Cruisers, and a Carrack Cruiser for support. The Presario, the lead Dreadnaught, was laying heavy fire on the still fighting Carrack Cruiser. A wing of Y-Wings launched from the Presario and made an ion blast run. The Carrack Cruiser crackled with the short circuited systems, The Bulk Cruiser Horse Shoe ran up alongside the Carrack Cruiser and prepared to board,  
the fleeing Bulk Cruisers were cut off by a barrage of ion blasts from the Y-Wings. Only one went down but the others turned around and headed towards Noch's fleet.  
"Sir, The Bulk Cruiser Omnibus is requesting to speak with you." Noch stared out the view port a moment. He intended to scare the crew of the ships.

"Open the channel to my chair." An image of a sullustian appeared before Noch on the command chair. "Ah, you must be the captain in charge of this...fleet. I am Noch Tar, and I offer to you that if you surrender your ships and their cargo into our hands, we will supply you with an empty Bulk Cruiser with which you may leave."  
The sullustian nodded his head. "Thank you for your hospitality Commander Tar. We are carrying supplies that were to be sent to Kuat to help build a new Star Destroyer."  
Noch ended the transmission. He opened a channel to all his ship. "Gentlemen, we have just received the supplies for one Imperial Class Star Destroyer." Over the channel and throughout the ship, cheers went up. This was by far one of the biggest ones they'd pulled. "We have also been given a Carrack Cruiser. After the transfer is complete, we will prepare to jump to the Nyarikn Nebula."  
Noch got up from his chair and patted many on the back. He knew that with another Star Destroyer under his control, he would become one of the most powerful pirates to ever pillage the galaxy. Right before the fleet jumped into hyperspace, he thought he saw three Star Destroyers jump in right behind where he had been.

The planet of Ruusan was desolate. General Attwood Onasi commanded the newly commissioned shipyards. The Emperor himself had given Attwood the mission of finding a destroying all the pirates along the Hydian Way. Attwood was currently trying to find Noch Tar. He was considered one of or the best pirate in the galaxy. Some even included him in the ranks of the rising star Booster Terrik.  
Attwood had been chasing pirates around the outer rim since before he could remember. He was an aging man who didn't have much left to live for except his personal mission. All his life, he had been scorned for bearing the Onasi name. It had been cast down because of a horrible mistake his ancestor had made a millennia ago.

In the ages of the Old Republic, during the time of the Sith War, Carth Onasi had saved the Republic from certain defeat. However, only twenty years later, his son, Larth, was given command of a fleet to hold down major points along major trade routes. With the reemerging Sith and their civil war, the Republic was keeping a close eye on watching the outer fringes for traces of attack.  
While Larth was in command, a huge fleet of Sith warships infiltrated Republic space and appeared over Coruscant. They targeted the Jedi Temple where the leaders were meeting. Thousands of Jedi were killed, and Larth's fleet didn't respond to the call issued by Coruscant. The Sith Fleet escaped and Larth's main battle fleet disappeared with it. It turned out that Larth had betrayed the Republic. Because of his betrayal, the Republic almost fell from the war that followed.  
From that moment on the Onasi name had come to mean traitor in many tongues and they were outcast. The Onasi families moved to the Outer Rim were they stayed for many years. Attwood decided to clear the scorn on the Onasi name by making a huge contribution to the galaxy. His enlistment under the Republic of late hadn't helped with his quest, but under the Empire, he had advanced quickly. If he succeeds in this post then he would be promoted to Grand Admiral or a Moff. He aspired to be in control of his own sector of space.  
However, in addition to chasing pirates, rebel activity was increasing in the Outer Rim. If any planets on the Hydian Way fell, it would wreck havoc on economy along the space lane.  
Attwood walked to the bridge of his flagship, the Pride of the Jedi, an outdated Dreadnaught. He had made many upgrades to the ship to make it at least as powerful as a Star Destroyer. Plus he had added a pricey interdiction generator to help in his campaign.

As he entered the bridge, everyone snapped to attention. "At ease men". He walked to the front view port and took a seat in the central command chair. From his consol, he could check the status of every ship in his fleet. He was currently preparing for an excursion to Eriadu, which was where the latest of Noch Tar's victories had been won.  
He sent out for three Dreadnaughts and a TIE escort carrier to go out. He had planned a trap with three Victory Star Destroyers, but they had arrived too late. If the reports could be believed, it was right as Noch Tar had entered hyperspace.  
As Attwood's fleet entered hyperspace, he realized that if he didn't end Noch Tar soon, he'd be stuck here forever. The realization made him even more determined to find the pirate.

For the past five years, small rebel activity had been growing. The Outer Rim, although not even being considered part of the Empire, was one of the biggest trouble spots.  
Zahn was the leader of a rebel cell on Naboo, which was just inside the Outer Rim. He had been contacted by other rebel leaders which had asked him to join a rapidly growing Rebel Alliance.  
His side of the galaxy had been relatively quiet in terms of rebel activity due to the fanatical General Attwood. Being right off the Hydian way did come with a benefit. The pirates along the way offered supplies to rebel cells often so weapons never ran short.  
Zahn though, was more of a diplomatic rebel then most. His dislike of the Empire was widely known, and had earned him a high position in the changing Naboo government.  
Ever since Padme Amidalla had died five years ago, the people of Naboo seemed to be shifting towards a more democratic way of living, since under the other queens, Naboo had been a victim of the Clone Wars and had many famishes.

Zahn was one of the people spearheading the movement for two reasons. One, it would help him attain a position that would move Naboo fully into the Rebel Alliance. Secondly, it would allow him to further advocate the dismantle of dictatorships, like the rule of the Empire.  
The people of Naboo would soon hold a huge debate on the pros and cons of a democratic government, and it would ultimately decide the way Naboo would be run for a hundred years.  
Zahn's anti-Imperial thoughts were growing dangerous, considering that more Imperial troops had arrived to provide Naboo with more "security".  
Zahn was now on his way to meet other underground leaders and a few pirates who would offer ships and supplies. He was watching his back under his cloak. So far it seemed that no one had noticed him. He ducked into a condemned building which was one of five hundred meeting places across Theed, the capital of Naboo.  
He opened a panel on the wall and put his hand on the screen. It scanned his hand and text appeared saying PLEASE SAY NAME AND PASSWORD. "Zahn Marx, Cobra Force." The panel snapped shut and the wall opened revealing a hallway with industrial walls that ended in a heavy blast door,  
He opened the blast door and was welcomed by the most wanted men on Naboo. Noch Tar, a famous pirate. Booster Terrik, the smuggler. Talon Karrde, a representative for Jorj Car'das, the information broker. Ergo Fin, the senator of Naboo. Carn Valorum, son of the late Chancellor Valorum. Also Timothy Par, who controls a large independent shipyard on the Outer Rim.  
"Thank you for coming. As you know, we currently are trying to find a way to knock Attwood Onasi out of his position in this region of space. The planet of Naboo itself has enough supplies for a full scale rebellion. We also have the ability to defend ourselves against a modest invasion. Noch, what do you have to report?" Zahn took his seat and slid the computer over to Noch.

Noch nodded and stood. "We have been going full scale against Attwood Onasi. We have gotten around forty TIE fighters, various weapons, armor, and just recently, materials for a Star Destroyer." There was a audible gasp around the table. "Before we celebrate, I have some reservations about the last one."  
He slides a data card into the computer and a map flashed on the screen showing a convoy of twenty Bulk Cruisers and a Carrack Cruiser in red. Plus three Dreadnaughts, a Star Destroyer, and two Bulk Cruisers in blue. "The red are the Imperial forces, and we were the blue. This escort was very under powered considering two facts. One, the value of this cargo is extremely high, even for the black market. Two, this space, although under Tarkin's jurisdiction, is heavily laden with pirates. I believe that this was supposed to be a trap."  
Noch pressed a button and the shapes began to move as the battle progressed. It became apparent that Noch was supposed to take the supplies.  
Karrde was the first to speak. "I think we should get rid of the supplies as quickly as possible. We don't need Tarkin on our backs." A murmur of agreement went around the table.  
Timothy spoke next. "I may be able to build it. It would require a lot of money though. Surely someone would notice something like this being built. I think we should deal with the Star Destroyer materials later. We do need to get everyone else's reports."  
Zahn nodded agreement. "All right, Ergo, what news from the Senate?" Ergo stood up and addressed the room.  
"The senate has recently been limited in its actual power. Palpatine has been assuring us that our votes are being used to consul him in his decision making. However, since all the results are private and speaking of our votes to others is prohibited, we can only take his word.

"The senate keeps asking me about the political instability here, but I shrug it off as if I know nothing. The only reason I'm here in person is because Palpatine insisted I check on the claims that the government was collapsing. I have two months to continue my stay."  
Carn nodded sadly. His father had been killed by Palpatine's agents and it had hit Carn hard. He had since spent all his time in the underground trying to find ways to undermine Palpatine. "My people have made no headway. Palpatine's aides keep all his dirty work very well hidden."  
Zahn nodded curtly. "That is unfortunate, but we will have to try and uncover something while the Senate still has a voice. What is the latest news from our smuggling operations?"  
Terrik nodded roughly. "Most of the ships carrying supplies off Naboo have made it to the other resistance cells. However, some ships were caught by Imperial patrols. At this point, thanks to Noch, Eriadu can't be used as a jump point anymore. Jorj Car'das told me that Tarkin has increased security tenfold since Noch's ambush over Eriadu.  
"The good news is that we have found a few Imperials who, if we pay a fee, will look the other way when our ships enter the systems. The best part is that they are part of Onasi's fleet. We have already set up a Intel network with Car'das."  
"Yes, Car'das has told me such." Karrde stood. "He also mentioned that he has a list of systems Noch and Booster can work out of. The Hoth system is the best chance for a base right now. Recon has showed that the remains of what appears to be a base are under the snow. The Tatooine system is always a safe bet, since the Empire has no control out there."  
"Tatooine is too far out of the way. Eriadu was right on the Hydian way, so it was practically a straight shot from here to Corriellia. Even running through Ruusan makes more sense. With Onasi's men letting us go, it would work fine. We'd just have to stay on the far side of the system." Booster was getting angry with Karrde and Car'das.

"Enough!" Zahn nearly yelled to stop the argument before it got out of hand. "This can be decided by Terrik. If he wants Jorj's help, he will ask. Talon, you were saying." Booster looked away as Karrde continued.  
"Yes, in addition to having a data card full of planetary specs, I have been thinking about our Star Destroyer problem. Even though Timothy could build it, someone would notice. There is nowhere in this region of space where we can build a Star Destroyer without complications.  
"However, what if we were to ransom it back to Onasi? Surely he would won't to get the materials back without too many of his superiors knowing. We could get much needed credits with which we could use to further the rebel cells on other planets."  
Zahn considered it for a moment. "It seems like a good idea, but do we really want to give him those materials so one more planet can be razed?"  
Karrde simply smiled. "I don't intend to give him the chance."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two 

Karrde sat aboard his ship, the Wild Karrde. The Karrde was flanked by a Tartan cruiser and another Bulk Cruiser. Out the view port was a line of Bulk Cruisers. Inside were the materials for the Star Destroyer. The backdrop for this scene was deep space. Behind Karrde sat Zahn and Carn.  
Carn finally spoke after a long silence. "How long will Onasi make us wait? We might as well just pull everything out." Carn started to pace around the ship.  
Karrde eyed Zahn. "Well? What do you think? Pull out?"  
well. I think we should, uh, wait aZahn was taken by surprise. "Uh while longer. Everything is already set up." Zahn was startled by a view of a Star Destroyer as it entered the system. "There he is."

Karrde nodded as he read off the ships in the fleet. "One Imperial Class Star Destroyer, one Immobilizer Cruiser, three Dreadnaughts, and multiple TIE escorts."  
Carn clenched his teeth in anticipation as he headed out of the bridge. Zahn took his seat at a console on deck. A hum sounded as a channel was opened between the Karrde and the Pride of the Jedi.  
"Talon Karrde, this is Attwood Onasi of the Imperial Navy. We have the credits you wanted sent to account on Telos. The account number is 3711388311. You should find five million credits in the account." Onasi had a smug look on his face. Not the look of a man who just gave away five million credits.  
Karrde nodded to a officer on the deck who started to contact the bank. "I trust that it is in order, or, boom." Zahn smiled at this. It had been his idea to rig the ships with explosives.  
Onasi, however, frowned. "I'm not as narrow-minded as the pirates on the Outer Rim. I realize the stakes." The Immobilizer Cruiser turned on its gravity wells. "Which is why I've come prepared. Surrender your ships, and I will let you live."  
Karrde swore under his breath. He hadn't intended for Onasi to turn on the wells yet. "Very well. We will not destroy the ships. Nor will we attempt to attack you. We will stay here until it is done." Karrde ended the transmission.  
"Listen up!" Karrde yelled into the bridge. "Power up all weapons on my count. Prepare a link to Booster's ships nearby. Prepare to kick the engines on full throttle and send us right at the Dreadnaught lagging behind." He leaned down and spoke to Zahn.  
The Star Destroyer crept close to the convoy. Suddenly, a large explosion ragged through the canopy. When it cleared the convoy, the Star Destroyer, and a Dreadnaught were gone.  
"Launch all fighters! Tell them to protect the ships from bombers. Tell the bombers to follow us in a tight formation and to attack when we're in range."

Karrde watched as the battle began to unfold. The Imperial ships began to spread out and move directly for the Karrde.  
"I hope we're right Karrde." Zahn began to look worried. "Should I call Booster yet?" Zahn took another glance outside as the Imperial ships closed in.  
Karrde nodded so Zahn sent the message. Immediately a fleet of cruisers jumped in to the system. "Zahn, send out a broadcast on channel five. Use this code." He handed Zahn a slip of paper.  
Zahn punched in the code. Twenty Bulk Cruisers entered the system and headed right into the center of Onasi's fleet.  
The fighters began to cut through Onasi's lines. His fleet began to break up. His fighters couldn't leave the hangers without being plummeted by Karrde's fighters. Terrik's group formed a wedge and began to renew a attack aiming right for Onasi's flagship.  
"Karrde, I'm gonna move in and kill this slime." Karrde jumped over to the com.  
"No! We are only here to teach him a lesson. Just eradicate his ships. As soon as they are damaged to the point they can only do is jump out system, turn off the gravity wells and let them run."  
Karrde looked at the battlefield for a second. "Actually. Destroy all weapons on his ship but leave the engines intact. Destroy the engines and disable all the others. We could use these ships."  
"Fine. Your little strategies confuse me some time Karrde. I'm leading the next battle." Karrde shut off the comm before Terrik continued.  
Karrde turned to Noch as the battle raged. "How about that. A bunch of pirates defeating a Imperial Admiral. That will never happen again."

Noch stood and went to the viewport. "I heard a rumor about Nal Hutta. People saw a smuggler names Han Solo got everyone together to defeat the Moff who was trying to shut down Hutt space. But that was all simple tricks. We beat 'em with a actual navy."  
Karrde looked at Noch and laughed. "Your right there friend. You know what this means." He directed his attention over to Zahn sitting in the back. "You'll want to hire our fleet to remove your Governor."  
Zahn stood up and came over just as Onasi's flagship jumped into hyperspace. "Maybe. I was hoping you would do it out of good will. Onasi will contact Governor Jan about this. He will try and get full backing. It won't work though. Nobody really likes him."  
Karrde simply nodded.

"Sir, we have a ship that just jumped in system. It appears to be a Dreadnaught, but very badly damaged." The technician looked to the commander. The commander looked out the view port at the damaged ship.  
"Have you tried hailing it corporal?"  
"Yes sir. It appears that the communications array has been damaged. It looks like it came from a battle with only its hyper drive active." The corporal enhanced the image on the view screen to show various holes and destroyed cannons. "It looks like many modifications have been made to it."  
"Alright, try and send a binary message with the light array on the ship. Tell them to respond or turn left if they mean no harm." The corporal nodded and started the sequence.

Onasi stood on the bridge of his limping ship. He saw a light begin to flash in the direct5ion of the ship. It took him a minute before he understood. "Lieutenant, they are sending a binary code. Tell the computer to record it and give us a translation."

"Yes sir." The code kept coming. Onasi couldn't take any chance. He had to be absolutely sure they were friends. The ship signaling them was a old Corrliean corvette. On any other occasion, he wouldn't have been worried, but his ship had only had barely enough power to jump out of the system.  
"Sir, the translation reads, 'Unknown craft. We can see you have come out of a battle and have been damaged greatly. If you can respond, give us some information about your ship so we can help you. If not, turn left so we can acknowledged you are friendly.'"  
"Alright, send this message back with the one turbo laser. Aim high right. 'We were part of a Imperial fleet that went on a raid against some pirates on the Outer Rim. Our commander led us into a trap and we were one of the only ones who managed to escape, we seek repairs and communications to our superiors.'"  
"Alright, I'll send it now." The lieutenant went to the terminal and began to punch in the code. "Sir, I just got a message from the repair crew, they have short range communications up and running."  
"Okay, try and patch me trough to their ship while you send the message, add that we have short range communications back." Onasi left the bridge and headed to his cabin. He had a bad feeling that these people were unfriendly towards to Empire. He wanted to be ready.

The Commander read the printout of the message from the injured Dreadnaught. "Imperials?" He was astonished to hear this. And that they had been beaten by pirates. "Corporal, run a search for Imperial Admirals in this region of space who own a Dreadnaught, then do a galaxy wide search for a modified Dreadnaught under Imperial command." If they were Imperials, he'd have to think of something quick.

Onasi sat in his chair as a light began to blink on the incoming call board. He pressed the button to open the channel. "This is the Imperial Dreadnaught. To whom am I speaking?"  
And older voice replied. "This is Captain Talor on the Anticipator. We received your message. We are a small local defense fleet, but we will help you if we can. There is a Space Station on the other side of the planet. Do you have enough power to get there?"  
Onasi checked his readouts. "We should. It might be best to wait till the station orbits to this side of the planet though. To be safe. About how long do you think it will take?"  
There was a slight pause."It will take about 10 hrs. If you can travel the distance, It can be reached in 15 min. How is your life support?"  
Onasi sensed something in his voice. It sounded like he was scarred. "We will travel. We have only a hours worth of power."  
"Very well. Follow my ship in. Oh, for the record, may we have your name, rank, and ship's name."  
"Uh, I'm Admiral Onasi of the ship Pride of the Jedi." A very long pause followed.  
"Ah, we are honored to be helping a admiral of the Imperial Navy. I'm sure my superior will want to speak with you. Please follow me to the station."  
Onasi cut the channel. He realized it might not have been such a smart idea to give his real name.

After the battle, many of Terrik's ships went to the shipyards of Mon Calamari and Kessel to be repaired. Noch Tar had moved his fleet near Naboo to try and help the resistance. He was currently talking with Karrde and Zahn about their next move.  
Noch was the first to talk. "I heard a rumor that Onasi was found in a out of the way system. A captain there tried to capture him but this Governor Jan saved him."  
Karrde looked worried. They had hoped that Jan would let Onasi die. Now it seemed that Jan wanted to help him.

"I heard from my men, that Jan found out about their being a resistance growing. Onasi must have said something about a connection between the pirates and us" Zahn was trying got understand.  
Karrde just stared ahead in deep thought. "Zahn," Noch said."How are things going in the government?"  
"Well. I have gained a lot of momentum. More and more people are beginning to see a democracy as a beacon of hope. The election will be held next week. I'll need protection. Can you get in touch with Terrik and tell him I'll pay for his help. Also, call anyone you know. I need to let the Empire know that Naboo will be free."  
Noch nodded. "I'm sure exactly where he is, but Karrde probably knows." They both looked at Karrde who looked up.  
"I think he was last seen in the Eriadu system trying to pick up the scraps of your little skirmish with Onasi. I heard that a new Moff was assigned out here. His name is Tarkin and his base is on Eriadu. Things are getting tough out here."  
Karrde got up and went to the door."I may not be able to help for much longer. I see you election day Zahn." With that he left.  
Noch and Zahn looked at each other. "Wow. Wonder what's on his mind." Noch shrugged his shoulders.  
"Any way. I'll have my fleet standing by. I'll be doing some hit and run around the Eriadu system. We'll see what kind of man this Tarkin is."  
Zahn sat down and open a file on the view screen. It showed a Imperial Shuttle landing on a crowd of protestors in a city on a sunny day. A man walked out of the shuttle when it landed. He was a thin and tall man. With a plethora of medals and emblems on his uniform.  
"That's the kind of man Tarkin is. His first day on Eriadu and he's already making friends." Noch was struck with silence. He was far worse than Onasi. Onasi was simply following orders. Tarkin was a monster.

"I see. Well, we will have to try and hold him off then. Good luck Zahn. I better get going." Zahn and Noch said their goodbyes.  
Zahn realized that this would be a hard battle. If he lost his battle on Naboo, then the chances of more rebellions would go down fast.


End file.
